Two of the top technology companies that are extremely dominant in the smartphone market are Apple and Samsung. Since the South Korean firm started challenging Apple’s devices with its Galaxy lines, the companies have been embroiled in legal battles that are spread to different parts of the world. There have been disagreements regarding patents and both firms are trying to best the other and come out on top. In some cases, decision was made in favor of Samsung while in others, Apple was able to rise. In the latest move, it was decided by the competitors that they will be resolving their patent dispute outside of court this time around, but it seems that we shouldn’t really hold our breaths for that to happen any time soon.

It was revealed by a Thursday court document that Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc. and Oh-Hyun Kwon, CEO of Samsung Electronics would be meeting before or by 19th February 2014 for the purpose of reaching a settlement that would concern their two-year battle of patents. On January 6th, legal executives of both the companies met for the purpose of discussing opportunities. This information was mentioned in the filing and it was also added that the firms had agreed on a mediator who will be responsible for handling the February meet up. Moreover, one major fact to be noticed was that this sit-down between Kwon and Cook would not be attended by outside counsel.

However, it wasn’t simply the companies who had a change of heart regarding this whole matter. Judge Lucy Koh had ordered the companies in November to submit a proposal that would concern settlement discussions to be made before the trial would officially start in March 2014. This move had been made by the judge before as well. Before the trial took place in August 2012 between Apple and Samsung, a battle that ultimately resulted in a victory for the South Korean giant and had a worth of about $900 million, the companies had made an attempt to resolve their differences in some way.

At that time, Judge Lucy Koh had said that there had been risks for both firms in allowing a jury to decide whether the iPad and the iPhone had been copied by Samsung Electronics in its Galaxy range of devices and had encouraged both sides to discuss this matter thoroughly. In May 2012, another sit-down had taken place between Samsung’s Choi Gee-Sung and Apple’s Tim Cook and the CEO of the American smartphone maker had also talked to Kwon on the phone in August, but even this effort had not given any results to either firm.

In the wake of the patent deal made by Apple with HTC in November 2012, the head of the mobile and IT division of Samsung had told reporters that the company had no intentions of negotiating in any way. Now, the two companies are all set to go to trial in the same court in California and this case covers devices that were not the part of the first trial.

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